Rocker chick, rebel – a lot of titles come to mind when thinking of Courtney Love, but musical theater star isn’t one of them. At least not yet!

The Hole frontwoman, known for her hard-partying past and signature rasp, has headed to the stage in Kansas City Choir Boy, an off-off-Broadway pop opera that’s part of the Prototype opera and music theater festival in New York.

“I play a rock star with a drug problem. And the research I have to do – it’s so tough for me!” Love, who got sober in 2007 after a long battle with addiction, told The New York Times.

In the production (directed by Kevin Newbury with songs by Todd Almond), Love plays Athena, a singer from the Midwest who travels east to pursue fame.

This isn’t the punk-rocker’s first venture into acting: Love, 50, has guest-starred on Sons of Anarchy and even scored a Golden Globe nod in 1996 for her turn as doomed wife Althea Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt.

And Love says the transition from rock to theater isn’t a far stretch.

“You’ve got to be in the moment for it to work. That is a rule for theater and a rule of rock. It’s universal,” she said.

Love stars in Kansas City Choir Boy, playing at the HERE Arts Center in New York, through Jan. 17.

Manage Push Notifications

If you have opted in for our browser push notifications, and you would like to
opt-out, please refer to the following instructions depending on your device and
browser. For turning notifications on or off on Google Chrome and Android
click here, for Firefox
click here, for Safari
click here and for Microsoft's Edge
click here.

View image

Courtney Love, Opera Star? Rocker Headlines Off-Off-Broadway Musical

this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.